Public Appointments: Members of the House of Lords

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which Members of the House of Lords held Government appointments on 24 July; what these appointments were; and what remuneration was paid in connection with each appointment.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Information on those (including Members of the House of Lords) who hold public appointments is available in the Public Appointments Directory on the Cabinet Office website at www.quango.gov.uk. Information on all public bodies, their chairs, their remuneration and that of members is available in Public Bodies 2000 (ISBN 0 11 430173 5), an annual publication, produced by the Cabinet Office and published by The Stationery Office.

Organisations Required to Report to Parliament

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they maintain lists of all those organisations obliged to report to Parliament; if so, whether they will publish the list; or, if not, whether they will in future maintain such a list.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Government do not maintain a list of organisations required to report to Parliament and have no plans to do so.

UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Morgan of Huyton on 5 July (WA 58), whether the international obligations she refers to include Article 4.1 of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

Baroness Morgan of Huyton: The international obligations referred to in the Written Answer of 5 July (WA 58) do include Article 4.1 of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

Committee of Experts for the Council of Europe European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: Appointment of UK Member

Lord Clinton-Davis: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the appointment will be made of the UK member to the Committee of Experts for the Council of Europe European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Her Majesty's Government are pleased to announce that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe elected on 4 October Emyr Lewis as the UK member to the Committee of Experts for the Charter. The Committee of Experts acts as a monitoring mechanism examining the periodical reports submitted by parties on compliance with the Charter. Emyr Lewis is a fluent Welsh speaker, whose legal expertise and experience of minority language issues makes him an ideal representative for the UK on this committee.

European Commission's White Paper on European Governance

Lord Clinton-Davis: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to publish the European Commission's White Paper on European Governance.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Her Majesty's Government welcome the publication, on 25 July, of the White Paper. It is an important initiative in the effort to make the EU's institutions more efficient, effective, transparent and accountable. In particular the Government welcome the emphasis of the White Paper on practical ideas which can be implemented without the need for treaty change. A copy of the White Paper has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Nuclear Processing

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements are being made for a review of nuclear processing in the United Kingdom; and if such a review is being conducted, what are the terms of reference of the review.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government have no plans to review their current policy on the management of spent nuclear fuel.

NHS: Personal Care

Lord Campbell of Croy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether free personal care should be available throughout Great Britain for those elderly people who need such care.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government announced their views on free personal care in the annex to the NHS Plan which we published in July 2000, a copy of which is available in the Library. Issues relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are matters for the devolved administrations.

Diabetes National Service Framework

Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish the Diabetes National Service Framework.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We will be publishing a standards document this autumn, which will set out national standards to improve the quality of care for people with diabetes. The standards document will include the aims of the national service framework, the underpinning evidence and proposed service models. It will indicate the broad direction of travel over what will be a 10-year programme, starting in April 2003. We will publish the delivery strategy (including milestones) for the Diabetes NSF next summer. We shall also be setting up an implementation group this autumn, which will work with the National Health Service and other interested parties to develop a delivery strategy for the Diabetes NSF that takes account of the changing roles and responsibilities of NHS organisations emerging from Shifting the Balance of Power. The agreed delivery strategy, including milestones, service models, performance indicators and underpinning programmes, will be published next summer.

Generic Medicines: Statutory Maximum Price Scheme

Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the outcome of the review, under Article 4 of the Council Directive 89/105/EEC, of the statutory maximum price scheme for generic medicines dispensed in the National Health Service in the community.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are today announcing our decision, taken in the light of consultation with interested parties, to roll forward unchanged the maximum price scheme for generic medicines. The scheme will remain in place pending decision on longer-term arrangements for the supply and reimbursement of generic medicines. The statutory maximum price will continue to be set on a United Kingdom-wide basis.

Service Families Task Force

The Earl of Shrewsbury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made by the Service Families Task Force since July 2000.

Lord Bach: The Service Families Task Force is involved in a wide range of issues. Since July 2000 progress on the main issues has been as follows:
	a. We have resolved the problems that some service families had encountered, as a result of the payment of local overseas allowance, in claiming working families' tax credit on return to the UK from an overseas posting.
	b. We have resolved the problems that some service spouses had encountered, due to the interpretation of residency status, in claiming Child Support Agency payments when on an overseas posting.
	c. Individual learning accounts can now be opened by service spouses when on an overseas posting.
	d. Since 1 April 2001 service spouses have been able to open individual savings accounts and stakeholder pensions whilst on an overseas posting.
	e. The Ministry of Defence is being consulted by the Department of Health in the drafting of new adoption legislation to ensure that service families will not be disadvantaged.
	f. Discussions have been taking place with the Department for Education and Skills, and with local education authorities, to see what measures can be taken to improve the schools admissions process for service families.
	g. Discussions have been taking place with the NHS waiting and booking team on the problems service families face when transferring between NHS trust areas.

Small Diameter Bombs

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any plans or are giving consideration to any proposal to acquire or to develop small diameter bombs whether fixed-target or mobile-target character.

Lord Bach: The small diameter bomb (SDB) is an American programme, at the early stages of development. It is being designed principally as a precision guided munition for future aircraft with internal bomb carriages.
	The UK does not currently have any plans to commit to the SDB programme, which is unlikely to meet our required precision guided bomb in-service date of 2006. However, high level studies to assess the optimum weapon configuration for future aircraft and the precision guided bomb assessment phase will inform the debate as to the merits of such a programme.

Rural Task Force: Publication of Report

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When will the report of the Rural Task Force be published.

Lord Whitty: The report is being published today. Arrangements have been made for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.